BJP to target Shinde, raise chopper deal in budget session

Updated: Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 18:10 [IST]

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New Delhi, Feb 19: The BJP Tuesday said it would target union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde in parliament during the coming budget session for his remarks on saffron terror and demand an apology. It would also raise the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.

The decision to corner Shinde for his comments linking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to "saffron terror" was taken at a meeting of top BJP leaders at L.K. Advani's residence.

BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said the party will also take out a protest march Wednesday, led by party chief Rajnath Singh. The march will start from Jantar Mantar and is likely to go to Shinde's residence, party sources said.

"We will raise the issue in parliament. Shinde is the leader of Lok Sabha, does he think we are terrorists?" Prasad said ahead of the budget session beginning Thursday.

"Our demand is very emphatic: he has to apologise," he said.

The party will take up the issue of kickbacks in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. A meeting with other constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will be called Wednesday to finalise the combined strategy for the session.

Prasad slammed the government, saying a new scam came up before every parliament session.

"There is a scam in this government before every session of parliament. Earlier, it was the coal allocation scam and now the helicopter scam... The ministers in this government are speaking in different voices on the scam. While the defence minister is saying we will scrap the deal, the external affairs minister is against it," he alleged.

Asked if the BJP would demand removal of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien, who is allegedly involved in the Suryanelli rape case, Prasad said: "We will discuss it with other political parties and decide."